Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is FlowBank better than BDSwiss? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 of the best forex brokers, FlowBank is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 77 out of 99. BDSwiss is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 83 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 77 | 83 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FlowBank Review | BDSwiss Review | IG Review |
| Regulation | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 77 | 83 | 99 |
| Year Founded | 2020 | 2012 | 1974 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | Yes |
| Bank | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | No | Yes | Yes |
| About Regulation | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | No | No | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | No | No | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | No | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | No | No | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | No | No | Yes |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | No | No | Yes |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | No | Yes | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No | Yes |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | No | Yes | No |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | No | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | No | Yes |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | Yes |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | Yes | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No | No |
| Investments | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 408600 | 1081 | 19537 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 51 | 51 | 100 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.6 (08/10/22) | 0.86 (September 2022) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 (08/10/22) | 0.5957 (September 2022) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No | Yes |
| Funding | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $0.00 | $100-$5000 (depending on account type) | £250.00 |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | No |
| cTrader | No | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 37 | 30 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 17 | 15 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 5 | 30 | 33 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | No | No | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review | FlowBank Review | BDSwiss Review | IG Review |
| Overall | FlowBank | BDSwiss | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 77 | 83 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FlowBank Review | BDSwiss Review | IG Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare FlowBank vs BDSwiss.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, IG offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Both FlowBank and BDSwiss hold 1 global Tier-1 licenses. BDSwiss holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while FlowBank holds 0. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, BDSwiss earned a higher Trust Score than FlowBank.
To compare the trading platforms of both FlowBank and BDSwiss, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Both FlowBank and BDSwiss offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4).FlowBank and BDSwiss both offer copy trading.
FlowBank and BDSwiss offer traders the same number of currency pairs, 51. Forex pairs aside, FlowBank offers traders access to 408600 CFDs while BDSwiss has 1081 available CFDs, a difference of 407519.
FlowBank operates a regulated Swiss bank, and is authorised by one tier-1 regulator (high trust): the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
BDSwiss is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. BDSwiss is authorized by two tier-1 regulator (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). BDSwiss is authorised by the following tier-1 regulator: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
As a relative newcomer to the Swiss online brokerage scene, FlowBank already has a lot to offer its customers. FlowBank clients benefit from the advantages that come with holding a Swiss bank account, and its brokerage services provide access to more advertised symbols than any online broker that we’ve reviewed thus far.
The BDSwiss brand caters to over 1.6 million registered forex and CFD traders, and offers the full MetaTrader platform suite alongside its own proprietary mobile app. BDSwiss demonstrates good order execution statistics and provides access to over 1,000 tradable symbols – though its spreads are higher than industry leaders.
Overall winner: IG
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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